A Conservative councillor is refusing to resign his seat despite admitting that he has convictions for paedophilia, causing death by dangerous driving and 19 drug offences.
Robert Richdale, 54, a serial child sex offender, slipped through local vetting procedures when he was chosen for the town council in Folkestone, the constituency of Michael Howard, the party's leader.

Richdale's election leaflets describe him as "a family man with a compassionate personality".

However, he is barred from seeing his two daughters because of his history of abusing children. He lives alone in a small basement flat where he admits to having sex with a 14-year-old girl; one of his 65 convictions over a 40-year history of crime.

Richdale, who has met Mr Howard twice at party functions, gave an extraordinary interview to his local newspaper, the Folkestone Herald, in which he admitted his criminal past.

He said his convictions included death by dangerous driving, indecent assault, drugs possession, carrying a weapon and forgery.

Richdale, an unemployed chef, confessed to using cannabis and amphetamines to control his alcoholic cravings, saying: "I am an alcoholic and I always will be but I haven't had a drink for 11 years."

He admitted having sex with a girl of 14 and said: "She told me she was 15 but she was 14. She stayed at mine (home) and I woke up to find her having sex with me.

"But I am not a sex case and I am not motivated by lust. I wish everyone was like me."

Richdale claimed that he did not go through any vetting procedure when he was adopted as a Tory candidate before the local government elections in May.

He said he had just signed a piece of paper, without reading it, which he now realised may have asked him to declare any criminal convictions.

Jonathan Holborow, the local Tory chairman, yesterday called for Richdale to resign and said as soon as the offences came to light he had expelled him from the party.

A spokesman for Mr Howard's office said: "They were not friends and Mr Howard does not know him."

The Sun version is poor. Not up to their standards, but it does list his offences.

This man is clearly failing to meet Conservative Party standards - Tory scandals are supposed to include shirt-lifting with little boys, with a history of regular visits to a dominatrix for a healthy dose of spanking.

It's a hole anyway, and it's Michael Howard's constituency! Grin..a rare one this, not so much because of the underage lass but that huge rap sheet...I'm especially amused by the bit about smoking cannabis and taking speed so as not to have a drink!

if i had to live in folkstone i,d want a drink .Considering the other usless
gits we get as local councillors seems quite harmless .At least he is admitting he a total waste of space unlike some others .

anyone who was either in IJLB or JLRRE , will confirm that folkestone is indeed the enema tube entry point of the south coast , and as local residents go this one seems pretty laid back, i'm surprised the under age female wasn't his neice.